Goodarz Danaei

Goodarz Danaei is the Bernard Lown Professor of Cardiovascular Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, affiliated with the Department of Global Health and Population and the Department of Epidemiology. He holds a medical degree from Tehran University and advanced degrees in epidemiology from Harvard. His research focuses on quantifying population-level impacts of risk factors and interventions on cardiovascular disease, especially in low- and middle-income countries. He leads global consortia analyzing cardiometabolic risk factors (NCD Risk Collaboration) and developed the GLOBO RISK cardiovascular prediction model used worldwide.

His methodological work applies causal inference techniques like Marginal Structural Models and parametric G-formula to observational health data. He directs the Bernard Lown Scholars Program training global health leaders in cardiovascular disease prevention. Recent grants include NIH-funded studies on diabetes disparities and CVD training programs.

Key achievements include:

• Developed first country-level CVD risk prediction tool
• Validated WHO risk models for Middle East
• Advanced causal inference methods for chronic disease research
• Trained over 100 mid-career professionals through Lown Scholars

Research focuses on applying epidemiological methods to:

• Health disparities analysis
• Clinical preventive strategies
• Global CVD prevention policies
• Mediation analysis in chronic disease pathways

Recent work emphasizes:

• Aspirin self-administration for acute cardiac events
• Statin therapy risks/benefits in aging populations
• Cardiometabolic risk modeling in diverse populations